A former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Professor Bola Akinyemi, has said that Nigeria should not have accepted the partner membership granted to it by the multinational bloc, BRICS.
Akinyemi made this statement on Politics Today, a programme on Channels Television, on Monday.
He argued that Nigeria should have been an original member of the group or granted full membership during its expansion, rather than being designated a partner country.
The professor of political science said that offering Nigeria partner status instead of full membership by BRICS is a slap in the face of Nigerians.
“I am not happy. Can you tell me the difference between a partner country and a member, given our GDP in Africa compared to Ethiopia or even South Africa? Is it a partner country that befits us? No.
“We should have been part of the original members of BRICS. I have said this on several platforms. I don’t know why we were never an original member; I don’t know why we were not invited to join as a full member when they were expanding it.
“I think it is a slap in our face, and we should never have accepted this partner member if that is what they call it,” Akinyemi said.
BRICS is an intergovernmental organisation consisting of 10 countries—Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates.
Recall that on Friday, Brazil announced the formal admission of Nigeria as a partner country of BRICS.
According to a statement by Brazil’s Foreign Ministry, BRICS and Nigeria share common interests, as both actively strive to enhance cooperation among Global South countries and advocate for the reform of international organisations.
“With the world’s sixth-largest population—and Africa’s largest—as well as being one of the continent’s major economies, Nigeria shares convergent interests with other members of BRICS.
“It plays an active role in strengthening South-South cooperation and in reforming global governance—issues that are top priorities during Brazil’s current presidency,” the statement said.
Brazil currently holds the BRICS presidency for 2025, having taken over from Russia on January 1.
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